Shoe-polishing brush



. c. s. MCPHEE SHOE POLISHING BRUSH Filed June 23, 1922 v i aeiziafr. AM J WW ZYQLW, [a 920W Fatented Jan. 1, 1924.

intents FFEQE.

CLEMENT S. McPHE-E, 0F NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE-POLISHING BRUSH.

Application filed June 23,1922.

To all to 720m it may concern:

Beit known that I, CLEMENT S.- MOPHEE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful In'iproven'ients in Shoe- Polishing Brushes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for polishing shoes and like uses of the type wherein a backing block of wood or thelike is provided to constitute a hand piece, with a polishing layer of wool or plush or other suitable material secured thereto, and with an interposed layer of soft felt or like resilient material as an immediate backing for the polishing layer. In polishers thus constituted it has been customary to adhesively secure the felt to the block by glue or the like, but. in this case the soft felt being secured only at the bottom surface thereof soon tears away and works out from under the wool or plush facing. In cases where tacks have been used to secure the felt it is necessary to draw them down deeply into the felt material so that they cannot be felt when pressure is applied in the use of the polisher. When the polisher is used these deep depressions caused by the tacks give a humpy action from the uneven polishing surface presented, detracting from the emciency of the polisher. Further the wool is stretched into the depression causing it to loosen from the tacks. In accordance with my invention I secure the felt layer to the block by glue or the like at a point intermediate of its length only, andprovide means in the form of steadying pins adapted to hold the end portions of the felt from lateral displacement or pushing out while preserving the full resilient effect of the felt and presenting a smooth, substantially continuous surface thereof to the wool or plush facing. The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the distinctive features of novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation with a portion broken away in vertical section showing one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the in- Serial No. 570,4:36.

vention embodied in a slightly different form;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4- of Fig. 2.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 3, 10 indicates a backing block which may be of wood as usual and of convenient size to constitute a hand piece. 11 indicates a layer of soft felt or like yielding material of substantial thickness and with its end portions rounded as usual. 12 indicates a facing layer of wool, plush or like appropriate polishing material, the ends of which may be secured to rebated extremities 13 of the block 10. In accordance with my invention the felt layer 11 is adhesively secured by glue or the like to the block in a limited area only at 14: intermediate the length thereof. In each end portion of the felt, but preferably spaced some distance from the extremities thereof are fitted pins 15 having heads 16 embedded in the felt intermediate the thickness thereof. These pins extend inward from the inner surface of the felt and into sockets 17 constituted by small holes bored into the block 10 from the inner side and well towards the outer surface thereof. The depth of these socket holes 17 is such that the pins 15 normally extend only part way thereinto whereby as the felt is compressed more or less in the use of the polisher, these pins are permitted to slide freely in these holes 17, the clearance between the extremities of the pins and the bottoms of the sockets being sufficient to take care of any endwise movement that would be imparted to the pins by the compression of the felt in the ordinary operation of the polisher. In Figures 2 and 4: I show a form wherein the block 1O has a felt layer 11 and a wool or plush layer 12 associated therewith substantially as already described. In this case the same result is obtained by having the steadying pins 15 driven fixedly into the block 10 with the heads 16 thereof normally at the bottom of portions l7 cut into the felt from the outer surface thereof to the requisite depth intermediate the thickness of the felt, these holes being only of a dimension to pro vide clearance for the movement of the pin heads 16 as the felt is compressed. Since these pin heads do not require to be of any considerable size, the holes 17 are not large enough to effect, or produce any depression in, the outer polishing layer 12. It is thus to be noted that the Working surface of the felt presents an even substantially continuous surface, but still is securely fastened to the block. As pressure is applied in using the polisher the steadying pins simply move deeper into their sockets, in the one case in the block and in the other case in the felt, causing the wool to present at all times an even, level polishing surface. A still further advantage of the present con struction is that there is no tendency to loosen the yielding layer from the tacks. It is to be observed that in both forms of the invention the heads of the tacks or pins are entirely covered by a protecting layer of the yielding material, and that there are no humps or depressions Whatever in the felt. I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms Without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A polisher comprising a backing block constituting a hand piece, a polishing layer secured at its ends totheend portions of the block, an intermediate yielding layer of felt or the like, and steadying pins engaged with said block and with the said felt layer hav inga range of free endwise movement with respect to one thereof and anchored in the other thereof for the purpose stated.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

CLEMENT S. .MCPHEE.

Witnesses:

EARL H. THOMSON, LILLIAN K. HALEY. 

